Cooking Tips

My Various Ideas and Tips

Cooking Tip #1:If you are pressed for time you can "quick brine" your beans. Combine the salt, water and beans in a large dutch oven and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove the pot from the heat, cover and let stand 1 hour. Drain and rinse the beans and proceed with your recipe

Cooking Tip #2:Peeling Tomatoes: 1. Cut a very shallow "x" on the bottom of your tomatoes. 2. Prepare a pot of boiling water and an ice bath. 3. Drop tomatoes in boiling water for no more than 30 seconds. 4. Remove from water and place immediately in ice bath for at least 5 minutes. 5. Peel off the skin with your hands! http://allrecipes.com/howto/peeling-tomatoes

Cooking Tip #3:If you don't have aluminum skewers, you can use Bamboo skewers. Just be sure to soak them in water for 30 minutes.

Cooking Tip #4:
Don't marinate with Ginger! Fresh ginger contains an enzyme known as zingibain that if left too long on meat, breaks down collagen on the meat's surface, producing the same mealy effect as acids and some juices. Aka: it will make your meat mushy!

Cooking Tip #5:
It is very easy to melt chocolate with a double boiler. All you need is a heat proof bowl (pyrex works) that fits snuggly into a sauce pan. Fill the sauce pan with 1 inch of water and bring it to a simmer (not a boil!). Place your bowl into your sauce pan (be sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water) and add your chocolate. The chocolate should melt quickly, just be sure to stir often and watch the heat